


A Mission in White

by AutonomicRogue



Category: Captain America (Movies), Captain America - All Media Types, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Dress shopping, F/M, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Minor Harry Potter Reference, Missions, Resolved Romantic Tension, Unresolved Romantic Tension, dancing around feelings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-29
Updated: 2018-12-29
Packaged: 2019-09-29 20:10:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,422
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17210138
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AutonomicRogue/pseuds/AutonomicRogue
Summary: Natasha and Steve are called for a mission that requires they pretend to be engaged. It also requires that they go wedding dress shopping.





	A Mission in White

**Author's Note:**

  * For [fyeahnatasharomanoff (MykaBeringWells)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MykaBeringWells/gifts).



> Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel or these characters. I also don't own Harry Potter.  
> Also, the ideas that Steve Rogers is a Slytherin was inspired and drawn from a tumblr post by coffeeandarrows.

Steve worked over the punching bag, his hands swiftly meeting their target as they hit against the worn leather. He’d been waiting for a while for Sam to get there, figuring that he got distracted talking to Sharon on his way down (like he always did). Which was fine by Steve considering he needed to blow off some steam anyway before working with Sam on more of his mid-air combat techniques so that he didn’t end up hurting the guy. Natasha had been away on a mission for the last couple of weeks, which wasn’t any big deal. They both had had long missions before and they were just fine. It was just the fact that she’d been messaging him every day just to check in a let him know that she was okay, but within the last few days, she’d completely stopped. Realistically, he knew that she was probably fine, but he couldn’t shake the knot in his stomach that said she was hurt, or in danger, or any of the other countless things he’d imagined when he let himself think about it for longer than five seconds. He’d been trying to tell himself that he was only so worried about her because she’s his friend, but Clint was also her friend and he wasn’t nearly as concerned as Steve was. None of their other friends were.

“Hey man,” Sam called as he strolled into the gym, his duffle bag slung over his shoulder. “Sorry about that, I got caught up talking to Sharon and completely lost track of the time.” 

Steve smirked, “when are you going to tell her how bad you have it for her?” 

Sam hummed as he began unloading his wings from the duffle, “probably around the same time that you tell Natasha.” 

Steve immediately stopped hitting the bag and turned to face him, “I’ve already told you that there’s nothing going on between us.” 

“Right,” Sam replied sarcastically, “of course there’s not.” He was quiet for a moment as he strapped himself into his wings. “Speaking of, have you heard from her yet?” 

Steve immediately sighed and brought his shirt up to wipe the sweat off of his face. “No.” He grabbed his water bottle, taking a drink of it, his face scrunching up as his mind began to wander again. “It’s been four days, Sam. I haven’t heard from her in four days.” He took another drink, his worry setting itself even firmer on his face. “Not only that, but the last time that we talked, she said that she would-“ 

“-talk to you more tomorrow. I know man, you’ve told me a dozen times.” Sam smiled, “is that why you’re so upset?” 

Steve shrugged, hardly acknowledging Sam’s question, his mind still turning over the possibilities as to why Natasha wasn’t answering. 

“Seriously, when are you two going to admit you’re in love with each other?” 

Steve looked at Sam incredulously, “wha-we’re not-“ 

“Well she hasn’t been messaging any of us while she’s been gone. She doesn’t invite any of us over for dinner, and she definitely doesn’t tell us half of the stuff that she tells you. She’s got it just as bad for you as you do for her,” Sam replied, strapping his gloves on. 

“She’s my partner, we’ve been through a lot together.” Steve murmured, taking off the wrapping on his hands so he could put on his own gloves. 

Sam shrugged, a smirk appearing on his lips. “Yeah, I’m sure you’re right. I mean, it’s not like Clint was her partner for years before you and still struggles to get her to tell him things. They ever told you about what happened in Budapest? _That_ was some shit, but I guess some of the missions you guys have been on together were pretty rough too.” 

Steve huffed as he stalked over to grab his shield. “I’m serious. We just-,” he sighed as he ran his hands though his hair, “-we just have shared life experience, okay?” 

“Shared experience is nice, but if anything, it just explains why you two are so in love with each other.” 

“Sam,” Steve snapped. 

“Just grow a pair and tell her you love her. That’s all I’m saying.” Sam held up his hands and shrugged. 

Steve dropped his head back against his shoulders, his hands placed on his hips as he stared up at the ceiling for a moment. “Are we going to work or what?”

Sam laughed and pushed off the ground, “alright then, let’s get to it.” 

The pair worked in near silence, only stopping occasionally so Steve could give Sam direction on what to do in different situations. Sam flew past Steve and landed a kick that sent Steve flying backwards. Steve laid on the ground for a moment, the impact knocking the wind out of him. He groaned and rolled over on his back his eyes meeting a deep green set, surrounded by a halo of firey red hair. 

“I’m gone two weeks and you’re getting your ass kicked? Come on Rogers, I know I trained you better than that,” Natasha ribbed, her eyebrows raised playfully. 

“Nat,” Steve gasped. He scrambled to stand up, wrapping his arms around her and spinning them, a huge smile on his face. 

Natasha smiled and patted the top of his head. “Down boy,” she said, her voice lilted in amusement. 

“You’re back,” he breathed, as he set her back on her feet. He stepped back from her, his hands on her shoulders as he scanned over her body for any visible signs of injury. “Are you okay?” 

Natasha laughed as she brought her hands up to rest on his forearms, “I’m fine, Steve.” He raised his eyebrows as continued to look over her. “Really, Steve. I’m okay.” 

Steve let out a shaky breath, his smile faltering slightly as he met her eyes. “You didn’t message me like you said you were going to, and when I tried to- I was just concerned.” 

“I know,” Natasha murmured. “I know. I’m sorry. It was-I’ll explain everything, okay?” She gave him a half-hearted smile before wrinkling her nose playfully, “But only after you take a shower.” 

Steve chuckled, “alright. Alright, fine. I’ll go take a shower. You go unpack and relax. I’ll meet you up there soon.” 

Natasha gave him one last look over her shoulder before walking out of the gym. Steve let out a content sigh before turning around. Sam was leaning up against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest a smug smile on his face. 

“Don’t,” Steve warned, though his voice lacked any heat. “Don’t look at me like that.” 

“ _I was just concerned,_ ” Sam mocked, changing his voice to sound more like Steve’s. “ _I was just concerned because I’m in love with you.”_

Steve shook his head, as he walked past him and towards the showers. “I’ll see you later Sam.” 

“Steve,” Sam called after him. “Seriously, you’ve got to tell her sometime.” 

“Good-bye Sam,” Steve shouted over his shoulder. “Go bother Sharon.” He could hear Sam laughing as he disappeared into the locker room.

* * *

Natasha collapsed onto her bed with a groan. God had she missed it while she was gone. It wasn’t like her accommodations for the last couple weeks had been bad, per se, but was just happy to be home. She’d missed her bed, her apartment, but more than anything, she had really missed Steve. It hadn’t been a particularly difficult mission, infiltrate a company that they thought might be selling weapons to some terrorists, get information, find out who was making contact with the terrorists, and get out. She would’ve been back sooner if she hadn’t nearly been caught at the end of that first week. She had snuck into one of the high security rooms and was about to get her hands on some encrypted files when one of the security guards had walked in. Thank God lying was second nature to her, otherwise she would have been compromised right then. After that little incident though, she had to lay low for another week before she could make an attempt to get the files. Not staying in touch with Steve for the last few days was just an extra precaution. She’d explain that to him when came to her floor later, but she knew he’d understand. 

Plus, it’s not like she was feeling any less irritated by it than he was. If anything, not being able to talk to him those last few days had put her on edge even more. She’d tried to convince herself that it was just because they were comfortable around each other. That he’s one of her best friends, and that’s why it was bothering her so much. But Clint was also her best friend and she hadn’t talked to him in a month or so and didn’t feel that way about it. She didn’t feel that way about anyone else at SHIELD or on the team. Just Steve. 

Natasha sighed and ran her hands through her hair. _You’d better pull yourself together, Romanoff,_ she thought. She’d been fighting with herself about her feelings for Steve for months now, but he seemed to find his way into her mind all the time, even when she _should_ be focused on other things. Especially when her life depends on her being focused. She laid there, letting her mind wander until she heard her front door open.

“Nat?” Steve called. 

Natasha smiled and pushed herself up off of the bed. She walked into the living room to see Steve standing right inside the door, his hands shoved in his pockets. 

“Hey,” she replied, giving him a bright smile. He looked almost bashful as he met her eyes. Natasha walked over to her couch and threw herself down on it. She raised an eyebrow at him when he didn’t move to join her. “Are you just going to stand there all day or are you going to actually come in and sit down?” 

Steve chuckled and rolled his eyes as he went over to the couch. “How was the mission?” He asked. 

Natasha sighed and leaned her head against the back of the couch. “Exhausting.” She was in the middle of telling him about the mission when JARVIS interrupted. 

“Sorry to bother you Agent Romanoff and Captain Rogers, but Agent Hill has requested your presence in the conference room. She says it’s urgent.” 

“We’ll be there in a minute. Thanks JARVIS,” Steve replied. He looked over at Natasha, noticing her eyebrows knitted together. “You think this has something to do with your mission?” 

“Could be,” she said with a shrug. 

Steve stood up, turning back to her to extend his hand and help her up. “Well, I guess we should go find out.” Natasha smiled as she took his hand, allowing for him to pull her to her feet.

* * *

“Agent Hill, what do we have?” Steve called as he stepped into the conference room. 

“We were going through the encrypted files that Agent Romanoff brought back from the mission. We have reason to believe that Henry Goldstein isn’t the one who is involved in selling the weapons,” Hill started. 

“Who’s Henry Goldstein?” Steve asked. 

“The CEO of F&A Corp.” Natasha responded. Steve nodded and gestured for Maria to continue. 

Maria slid a folder across the table to Steve and Natasha. “Veronica Goldstein, Henry Goldstein’s daughter was flying low on our radar, but from the files Agent Romanoff brought back with her, we found that she’s more involved than we previously thought.” Steve opened the file and flipped through the pictures and files collected on her. “Lucky enough for us, she’s engaged.” 

Steve knitted his eyebrows together, “that makes us lucky how exactly?” 

Maria slid another set of documents over to Steve before continuing, “she’ll be in New York tomorrow, shopping for her wedding dress. While she’s here, we have reason to believe that she’ll be getting in contact with a representative for the terrorist cell we’ve been tracking. We need you to get a tracker on her phone so that we can monitor her movements after she leaves the dress shop.” Steve turned his gaze to look at Natasha whose expression was fairly stoic. “Agent Romanoff, you’ll be the one to plant the tracker. The best time to plant it will be when she’s trying on dresses. She’ll go out to show her bridal party, leaving the room unattended. You both will need to go undercover.” She slid a small file containing drivers licenses, credit cards, and other essential items over to them, as well as a small velvet box. “Agent Romanoff, you’ll be Denise Peterson. You were recently proposed to by your boyfriend of 4 years, Jacob Mathison, which is who you’ll be Rogers. You two live in Washington Heights. Denise has been dreaming of buying her dress at Belston’s Bridal shop for years and Jacob, you brought her there to do it.” 

“I-wait, what? Why am I going? If I’m supposed to be her fiancée, why am I going with her?” Steve sputtered. 

“As back-up. We don’t know just how involved Veronica is in this.” 

“Yeah, I understand that part, but why would I go with her to go dress shopping if I’m her fiancée? Wouldn’t it be better for me to just wait nearby as back-up?” 

“Plenty of women bring their fiancée’s now a days, Rogers. It’s fine,” Natasha replied. Steve’s face was flushed, and the tips of his ears were burning red as he avoided Natasha’s eyes. “Oh, come on. It won’t be near as bad as you think it is. Unless you think it’ll really be that bad to have to watch me try on all of those dresses,” she teased. Steve rolled his eyes and began reading through the briefing file once more. 

“The appointment is set for 11 a.m. tomorrow, be there 15 minutes early,” Maria said. “The rest of the information is in those files. Read them over before tomorrow. Don’t forget, Rogers, you’re supposed to be a couple. I hope you’re up for pretending. You’re free to go.” 

Steve grabbed the files off of the table, hesitating slightly before grabbing the velvet box that he assumed held the ring Natasha was supposed to wear the following day. He slid it into his pocket and headed out of the room. Natasha was leaning against the wall just outside of the door when Steve walked out. 

“I’m thinking, we order some Chinese food, pick a movie from your list, and go over the files. What do you say?” Natasha followed him as he made his way down the hall toward the elevator. 

“Uh, yeah sounds good. Can you call in the food and get that stuff ready? I forgot that I needed to,” Steve paused as he tried to think up an excuse. “Go talk to Sam about something I forgot to tell him when we were training earlier.” 

Natasha raised a curious eyebrow at him but didn’t press him about it. “Yeah, I can do that. Just come to my floor when you’re done then.” Steve nodded and watched Natasha step into the elevator. She still looked confused for a moment before giving him a half-hearted smile before pressing the button for her floor, the doors closing on her seconds later. 

Steve let out a sharp breath before stepping forward and pressing the down button on the elevator. He leaned his head against the wall, hitting his forehead against it gently a couple of times before the elevator arrived. He really needed to talk to Sam.

* * *

It took him about 15 minutes, but he finally found Sam chatting with Sharon in one of the conference rooms as they each filled out old mission reports. He could’ve just asked JARVIS where he was, but the longer it took him to find Sam, the longer he had to get his emotions in check before going up to Natasha’s floor. Steve stepped into the room and cleared his throat. 

“Hey man, I thought you were with Nat. What’s up?” Sam called when saw Steve standing there. 

“Hi Steve,” Sharon chimed. 

“Hey Sharon,” he replied, giving her a small smile. “Sam, can I-uh- talk to you for a minute?” 

Sam’s eyebrows knitted together. He glanced over at Sharon who also seemed slightly concerned. “I’ll be back in just a bit,” Sam said to Sharon. She nodded and gave Steve a gentle smile before turning her attention back to the paperwork in front of her. 

“Everything okay?” Sam asked once they were out in the hall. Steve sighed and shook his head in exasperation before reaching into his pocket to grab the ring box. Sam’s eyes widened as Steve held it up for Sam to see. “Woah dude, is that?” 

“It’s for a mission.” Steve rolled the box over in his hand, which suddenly seemed much heavier than it actually was. 

Sam narrowed his eyes as he looked over Steve. He could tell that something was bothering him, but he couldn’t figure out what it was. He waited for Steve to say something more about it, but he just kept his eyes fixated on the box as he messed with it. “Okay, I don’t get it.” Steve raised his eyebrows and met Sam’s gaze. “Something’s obviously bothering you about it, but I can’t figure out what it is.” 

Steve stuffed his hands in his pockets, returning the ring box to where it was in the process. He rocked himself back onto his heels as he began to explain what Maria had told them in their briefing. 

“I still don’t understand why you’re so upset about this?” Sam said once Steve was finished. 

Steve groaned, “I don’t really know, Sam. It’s just making me uneasy.” 

“Probably because you have feelings for her,” Sam offered. 

“I don’t,” Steve replied, shaking his head. 

“Right,” Sam replied sarcastically. 

Steve gave Sam a sharp look, “you’re not helping, you know.” 

Sam held his hands up defensively, “I’m just saying, you wouldn’t be this worked up about it if it wasn’t bringing up these feelings.” 

Steve scoffed, “it’s just a mission, Sam.” 

Sam hummed, “if it’s just a mission, then it shouldn’t be that big of a deal.” Sam chuckled when he saw Steve’s jaw set in a hard line as he realized he’d been backed into a corner. “You know what? You go dress shopping with her, pretend to be her fiancée, watch her try on all those wedding dresses, and if you can come back here after the mission, look me in the eyes, and _truthfully_ tell me that you don’t have feelings for her, I’ll drop it. In fact, if you can come back here and do that, I’ll tell Sharon how I feel about her and ask her on a date.” 

Steve’s phone buzzed in his back pocket, a text from Natasha coming through as he thought about what Sam said. 

_**Food’s here, hurry up or I’m eating all of your crab rangoon. ;P** _

Steve smiled and quickly sent her a text back. “Fine,” he said to Sam. “You better start thinking about where you’re going to take Sharon on your date.” Sam chuckled as Steve slid his phone back into his pocket. “I’ve got to go, she’s going to eat my food if I don’t get up there soon. Later Sam.” 

Sam offered him a wave before stepping back in the conference room where Sharon was giving him a curious look. 

“Did I just hear you tell him you were going to ask me out if you lose that bet you made? You didn’t tell him you already did, did you?” 

Sam gave her a wry smile as he sat down at the table with her. “Don’t worry, there’s no way I’m losing that bet. What he doesn’t know won’t hurt him.” He grabbed her hand in his and gave it a kiss before turning his attention back to the papers in front of him. “Now, where were we?”

* * *

“I’m telling you Rogers, you would definitely be a Slytherin. No question about it,” Natasha said in between bites of her Lo Mein. 

Steve chuckled and shook his head. “What makes you think that?” 

“Let’s see, Slytherins are ambitious. You’ve got that one covered. You’re cunning and intelligent.” She thought about it for a moment before continuing, “Slytherins are leaders. They do whatever it takes to get what they want. You lied on forms to get into the Army, which is a total Slytherin move, by the way. Everyone thinks you’d be a Gryffindor. Let’s be serious though Rogers, you’d totally be with me on the dark side.” She smirked at him before turning her attention back to the _Harry Potter_ movie playing on the TV. “Don’t worry though, you’d be one of the good ones in the house. Probably would be that Slytherin that doesn’t take anyone’s shit. Doesn’t buy in to all that crap about what Slytherins are supposed to be like and is friends with everyone.” 

Steve hummed as he contemplated what she said, plucking another crab rangoon from the plate in front of him and popping it into his mouth. “What about Clint?” He asked after a moment. 

“Barton?” Natasha said with a laugh. “Total Hufflepuff.” 

Steve threw his head back and laughed along with her. “I can completely see that one.” Steve picked one of the files up off of the table, flipping it open to the picture of Veronica. “So, what do you know about her?” He asked. 

Natasha shook her head, “not much. She wasn’t ever really around when I was there. Which is good, I suppose, because otherwise this mission would be much harder.” She pulled the file out of his hands and flipped through it for a moment, scanning over the pages before settling on a page that covered what SHIELD knew about her. “This mission better be worth it,” she grumbled. “I’m not putting on those dresses for nothing.” Natasha shook her head, “honestly, if I didn’t know better, I would think that Maria was doing this to me on purpose.” 

“Why’s that?” 

Natasha gave him a look before flipping back through the file. “Trying on wedding dresses isn’t exactly my idea of a pleasant afternoon, Rogers.” She grabbed her wine glass off of the coffee table before settling back into the couch. “Plus, I’m not exactly marriage material, so it’s just ironic and kind of pathetic.” 

Steve furrowed his eyebrows. “What makes you think you’re not ‘marriage material’?” 

Natasha snorted, “I’m hardly relationship material, Steve. Let alone the type of person someone should marry.” She looked at him over the wine glass she’d raised to her lips, “too much red in my ledger.” 

Steve shook his head, “you’re selling yourself short, Nat. You’re amazing.” He could feel the tips of his ears beginning to burn as the words slipped out before he could stop them. 

A melancholy smile appeared on Natasha’s face for a moment before she schooled herself. She closed the file and set it back on the table, the movie filling the silence between the two of them. They sat in relative silence for the rest of the movie, only occasionally breaking it for Steve to ask questions or to continue sorting their friends into different houses. When the movie ended, Natasha stretched like a cat before standing up. 

“We should probably get some sleep. We want to be at our best for the mission.” 

Steve nodded. He pushed himself up off the couch, the ring box that he’d forgotten about in his pocket tapping against his leg as if it was begging for his attention. “Oh, here,” he said. “I forgot I still had this. It’s the ring for the mission tomorrow.” 

Natasha’s eyes flicked from Steve’s face to the box he was holding out towards her and back to his face once more. A mischievous smile appeared on her face as she raised her eyebrows at him. 

“What?” He asked, slightly thrown by her reaction to it. 

“Oh, come on fiancée, you’re really going to make me put it on myself?” She teased, dragging out the “fiancée” as she did. 

Steve swallowed hard, his heart skipping a beat at the sound of that word on her lips. He shook the pit in his stomach in favor of rolling his eyes at her. “Fine,” he said, opening the box up to reveal the single cushion cut diamond on a simple silver band. He plucked it from the box before setting the box down on the table. Natasha held her left hand out to him, an amused smile on her face. Steve shook his head at her, the corners of his mouth turning upward as he took her hand in his. He gently began to slide the band onto her finger, his eyes wandering from her hand up to her face which were intently watching as he placed it. She looked at it for a second longer before her eyes flitted up to meet his gaze. “There,” he whispered. Neither one of them moved for a moment before Steve finally brought himself back to reality, dropping his hand away from hers. 

Natasha quickly regained her composure. “I guess I’ll see you tomorrow then.” 

“Yeah, okay,” he replied. “I’ll make us breakfast before we go. Just come up to my floor when you get up.” 

Natasha gave him a wry smile. “What a doting fiancée.” 

God, there was damn word again, and there was his stomach lurching at the sound of it, knowing that she was referring to him. He could feel his heart racing. _It’s just a mission,_ he rushed to remind himself, repeating it in his head like a mantra. But then she was pushing herself up on her toes, the cold band of the ring pressing against his neck as she placed a kiss on his cheek before walking down the hall, giving him one last look before disappearing into her room. 

Steve quickly gathered the files off of the table and exited her apartment. His mind clouded with thoughts of Natasha as he absent-mindedly went about getting back to his floor and getting ready for bed. He laid in his bed staring at the ceiling as he attempted to sort through the emotions that were assailing him. If he was already struggling to keep his emotions in check just from the sight of that ring on her finger, he was going to be screwed tomorrow.

* * *

Natasha rolled over onto her side, quickly shaking the haze of sleep as the ray of light from the break in her curtains caught the diamond on her finger. She stared at it, moving her hand slightly to watch how the light reflected off of it. She’d always thought that it would feel weird to have something sitting on that finger, especially knowing what it would mean for something to be there, but surprisingly, she didn’t hate it. In fact, she was kind of beginning to love the slight weight of it. She’d also be lying if she said that he heart hadn’t nearly stopped as she watched Steve slide it onto her finger. _Love is for children,_ she snapped at herself. Pushing herself upright, she resolved to stop allowing herself to think about it so much. There was a mission that she needed to get done, and the sooner that she completed that, the sooner she could get this ring off her finger. The sooner she could stop picturing Steve actually proposing to her and placing a ring there. She pushed the hair back out of her face, the glint of the diamond catching her eye once more. She sighed, this was going to be a long day.

* * *

Natasha looped her arm through Steve’s, plastering an over-excited smile on her face as she pulled him through the throngs of New Yorkers and closer to Belston’s. They stopped for a moment in front of the store and Natasha could feel Steve tense ever so slightly beside her. 

“I’m just so excited! Babe, aren’t you just so excited?” She asked, meeting his eyes to give him a reassuring look as she squeezed on his arm. 

He smiled down at her and patted her hand, his body relaxing once more. “Spending a whole day watching my gorgeous fiancée find the dress of her dreams? The dress that she’ll wear to start our lives together?” He offered her a boyish smile before continuing, “absolutely.” 

Natasha felt her heart flutter as the words came out of his mouth. She knew that he was only saying it because of the mission, but she couldn’t help the way that it made her feel. For a moment, she wished that it was something that he actually meant.

Steve stepped in front of her, pulling the door open for Natasha to step through. Natasha giggled and said thank you to him as she stepped into the building. Steve was in awe from the moment that he stepped through the door. Everything was so _white,_ and so much more extravagant than it was in 40s. Not that Steve had any experience with it, he could just tell that it was. Dresses adorned practically every surface of the store. Women were cheering, clapping, and some were even crying. Families wrapped brides in hugs and congratulations as they found the dresses that they would wear to start a new chapter of their lives. Steve was overwhelmed at the thought of it all, and they were only there for the mission. 

Natasha was talking to the attendant at the front desk about the appointment as Steve wandered off. He walked along the rows of dresses, astonished by the variety between them. There were big dresses that poofed out from the waist, dresses that were covered in diamonds and beads, dresses that were all lace, and others still that were completely plain. He didn’t know how anyone could ever pick the perfect dress with all of the choices that were around him. 

“Okay, we’re all set. The consultant will be with us soon,” Natasha said as she walked over to where Steve was standing and looped her arm through his. Steve looked down at her and gave her a smile before looking back to the racks of dresses. “See one you like?” She asked with a laugh. 

“There’s just so many, I don’t know how you’re ever going to choose,” he mumbled as they walked over to another rack. 

“Well, I suppose that just means I’ll have to keep trying them on until we find the perfect one.” She bumped her hip against his before letting go of his arm and pulling one of the dresses out to get a better look at it. “I’m thinking no to a lot of bling.” She pulled out another dress that was mostly tulle and a fitted bodice, her face scrunched up in distaste. “No to poofy, puffy dresses.” Steve chuckled as he watched her continue to roam through the store, before stopping at one of the racks leading to a more private viewing area. Natasha pulled out another dress and looked it over, “3 o’clock,” she whispered, her voice low. 

Steve discreetly moved his eyes from Natasha and the dress in her hands over to the private viewing area. He could see Veronica sitting there with a few different people. He assumed they were all her friends and family, but he couldn’t be sure. However, he did feel himself tense slightly, at the thought that one of the people with her could have seen Natasha before. He cleared his throat, “um, you see anything you like?” He asked, hoping that she would catch on to what he was asking. 

Natasha pulled the dress out more, allowing for her to step back and get a better look into the room. She hummed, before dropping the dress, “nope.” Steve relaxed once more, his worry ebbing as she picked up another dress. “What do you think?” She asked as she held it up in front of her. It was a ruched top with a beaded belt at the waist before flaring out into a plain satin skirt. 

“I like it,” he replied. “It looks good on the hanger, but I’m sure it’ll look even better on you.” He gave her a wink before turning his attention to a group of women who were squealing after the bride, they were with found her dress. 

Natasha’s heart fluttered in her chest. She mentally chastised herself for allowing herself to have that reaction to him. _You’ve got to focus, Romanoff. Love is for children, love is for children, love is for chil-,_ she repeated the mantra in her head until she was interrupted by the consultant coming to grab them. 

“Ms. Peterson?” The consultant asked as she approached them. 

“That’s me!” Natasha chimed, instantly perking up. “Though not for much longer, soon it’ll be Mrs. Mathison.” She hooked her arm through Steve’s and pushed herself up on her toes to kiss his cheek. 

Steve felt himself blush slightly as Natasha and the consultant walked through the store. They dropped him off at one of the couches where they told him to wait while they went to go pick some dresses for her to try on. “Alright honey, I’ll see you soon,” Natasha said. “Keep your eyes out for anything you think I’d like.” She winked at him before leaning down and pressing a chaste kiss to his cheek once more. 

As she walked away, she could feel her lips tingling, everything that the consultant was saying going in one ear and out the other. _Dresses. Room number. Phone. Chip. Leave._ She mentally continued going through her checklist and taking in her surroundings as a distraction for the pit in her stomach that she got when she thought about Steve. They were just about to turn the corner to head toward her dressing room when she saw Veronica come out of the dressing room in the hall adjacent to where hers was. _Bingo._

* * *

Twenty minutes later, Natasha was in the first wedding dress that the consultant had picked out for her. It was covered in lace at the top gradually getting less dense as it reached the waist and tapered off. It was pretty enough, but it wasn’t anything Natasha would’ve picked out for herself. Denise on the other hand… 

“It’s gorgeous,” she squealed. She turned to look at the back of it in the mirror. “We’ve got to show Jake this one!” The consultant helped her gather the train of the dress as Natasha threw the door open and headed out to where Steve was sitting. 

Steve had been looking the other way when Natasha rounded the corner. Natasha could tell that he was casually keeping his eye on what was going on in the private room where their target was showing off the most recent dress the consultant had put her in. “Jacob,” Natasha sang. Steve’s head immediately snapped to where she was stepping up on the pedestal. The consultant fluffed the dress around her as Natasha turned to face the mirror. “What do you think?” she asked. 

“Wow,” Steve breathed. “You look amazing.” A smile appeared on his lips as he watched her look over her own figure in the mirror. The dress clung to and fell away from her body in all the right places. She looked beautiful, there was no denying that. However, Steve _would_ try to deny the fact that his chest had started to squeeze a little bit the longer he looked at her. He watched her eyes flit over to the private room where Veronica’s consultant was helping her gather the dress once more to go back into the fitting room. 

“I don’t think it’s the one though, do you?” She asked as she turned around to face him. 

Steve shook his head. “You look awesome, but I don’t think so.” 

Natasha nodded and told the consultant that she wanted to try on a different dress. The two of them walked back toward the dressing room, getting right behind Veronica and her consultant. Natasha dropped the front of her dress, allowing herself to trip over it. She stopped in the hall, apologizing profusely to her consultant about how clumsy she was, while watching exactly what room Veronica went into. Once back in the room, the consultant helped Natasha out of the first dress and into another. They went through the same routine a couple of times while Natasha figured out how long Veronica was typically in the dressing room, making a mental note of her pattern. She would get in a new dress, go out and show Steve. Steve would complement her on it, Natasha would talk about some of the things she liked about it, Steve would agree with her, and then when Veronica would head back to her dressing room, they would both unanimously agree that it was beautiful, but it wasn’t the dress for her. She figured she had a window of 15 minutes to get in and get out. The issue came with getting away from the consultant. She could have “Jacob” grab the consultant to show her a few dresses that he thought “Denise” would look good in, but she knew that was risky considering how bad Steve was at lying and undercover work. She really only needed 5 minutes to get it done. She could do it, she knew that she could. 

Once she was out of her dress, she put on her best apologetic face and grabbed at her stomach. “I’m so sorry, but would you mind if I ran to the ladies’ room really quick?” She gave a light laugh before she continued on, “I swear, I have the smallest bladder. Jake’s always teasing me about it. I’ll be just a few minutes.” Natasha got dressed and grabbed her purse before stepping outside of the room. She walked down the hall and into the bathroom, grabbing her phone and texting Steve. 

_**See anything I’d like?**_

Steve felt his phone go off in his pocket and quickly pulled it out. He read her message and scanned through the room. He could tell she was asking about where Veronica was. _She must be getting ready to place the tracker,_ he thought. Veronica had just walked past him seconds earlier, but he looked toward the private room just to be sure. He could see her stepping up onto the pedestal. Grabbing his phone once more, Steve opened up the messaging app and replied. 

_**Found something I think you’re going to love.** _

Natasha slid her phone back into the purse and ran her hands under the water before leaving the bathroom. She walked down the hall, checking her surroundings as she went. She turned and went down Veronica’s hall. She glanced over her shoulder once more to make sure no one was around to see her before opening up the door. Working quick, she slid on the pair of gloves that she had in her own purse before rummaging through Veronica’s purse and finding the phone. She popped the back off, grabbing the tracker and slipping it underneath the battery. She turned the phone back on once she was done and pulled out another device that allowed for her to see check that the tracker was working. After she confirmed the tracker was working, she slid the phone back into Veronica’s purse. She pulled off her gloves and threw them back in her purse before cracking the door open and making sure that no one was around. She pulled the door shut behind her and walked to the intersection of the hallways. She had just stepped into the intersection when Natasha’s own consultant opened the door to her dressing room. 

“Has anyone ever told you this place is like a maze?” Natasha said as she put on a relieved face. “I have been standing here for the past minute trying to remember which side of the hallway our room was on.” 

“Oh, it’s incredibly confusing! But I think I might’ve found the dress for you,” the consultant replied. 

_Doubtful_ , Natasha thought as she plastered a wide smile on her face. “Perfect!” _One more dress and we can get out of here,_ she thought to herself. She went onto autopilot, undressing and allowing for the consultant to help her get into the final dress. 

“Okay,” the consultant chimed. “You’re all set. Have a look.”

* * *

Steve leaned back, his eyes trained on the ceiling as he waited for Natasha to come back out in another dress. He was hoping Natasha had planted the tracker without any issues and that they could get out of there soon. It wasn’t that the wasn’t particularly enjoying himself. It was just that the more wedding dresses that he saw her in, the harder it was getting to stop the barrage of images and daydreams of actually marrying Natasha out of his head. He sighed and sat up further, bracing his forearms on his knees. 

“Jake,” Natasha’s voice came softly through gentle hum of conversations around him. Before his eyes ever fell on her, he could tell that something was different about her. He turned his head to look at her, his back instantly straightening as his eyes danced over her figure. 

She was breathtaking. Everything about the dress was perfect. It fit her perfectly. It hugged her curves perfect, falling away from her just below where it hugged her butt. The front was simple, sleeveless, the neck of it straight as it went across her collar bones. When she stepped up onto the pedestal, she turned to face the mirrors. The middle of the back of the dress was an illusion panel with lace, stopping just at the top of her hips, small buttons running down the middle from her hips down to the end of the train. She was perfect. 

Steve felt like the air had been kicked out of him as he looked at her. He knew that he had to be giving away exactly how he was feeling, but he just couldn’t make himself stop. He met her eyes in the mirror, and noticed a small smirk pulling at her lips as she watched him. 

“What do you think?” She murmured. 

Steve wiped his hands on his jeans as he stood up and walked over to her. Natasha turned to face him, her eyes dancing as she met his gaze. “I think,” Steve drew in a breath as he looked her over once more. “that all you’re missing is a veil.” He looked around Natasha to the consultant who quickly grabbed a veil and brought it over to them. 

Natasha bent down so the consultant could pull her hair up and place the veil, gently laying it over her face. Natasha stood up straight once more and turned back to face Steve. “And now?” She asked. 

Steve looked her over for a moment, his smile getting bigger by the second. He stepped forward and grabbed the ends of the veil, slowly lifting it off of her face and draping it behind her. Steve lifted a hand and ran his thumb over her cheekbone before bringing it down and under her chin. “It’s perfect. You’re perfect.” 

Natasha stared back into the sapphires that were his eyes. She could see the tenderness, practically feel the love pulsing from him. She found herself unable to look away from him, and more than anything, she found that she didn’t want to. Before she knew what she was doing, she had leaned forward and captured his lips. It was soft, and pure, and held none of the demand of the lips that the men who had kissed her in the past possessed. He pulled away seconds later, his eyes protesting even as he smiled at her. 

“This is the one,” Natasha said breathlessly. 

“I was thinking the same thing,” Steve murmured, brushing a stray strand of hair away from her face, and though he wasn’t sure of it, he hoping they weren’t talking about just the dress.

* * *

When they got back to the tower, Natasha went off to debrief with Hill while Steve went up to his floor. He was laying on his couch as he tried to calm his racing mind. Every time that he closed his eyes, he could practically feel Natasha’s lips on his again. He could see her standing there in the dress, that perfect dress. A dress that made every atom in his body wish that she was actually his. Who was he kidding? Everything about _her_ made every atom in his body wish that she was actually his. 

“Captain Rogers, Mr. Wilson wishes to speak with you. He’s just outside the door,” JARVIS said. 

“Send him on in JARVIS,” Steve called, sitting up. Seconds later, Sam was walking in the door. 

“How’d the mission go?” Sam clapped his hands together as he walked over to the couch. 

“Fine,” Steve murmured. “It was successful. It went fine.” 

“That’s good,” Sam replied, sitting down next to Steve. He hummed before wiggling his eyebrows at Steve, “and how about our bet? Can you look me in the eyes and tell me that you don’t have feelings for her?” 

Steve sighed and dropped his head into his hands, “I don’t think I could say it even if I didn’t look at you. I’m so screwed.” 

Sam chuckled and patted Steve on the back. “Yeah, that’s what I thought.” Steve shook his head and groaned. “So, was it the dresses that did you in?” 

“There was one specific one, it was-“ he paused and his lips upturned as he thought about it. “That had already done me in, but with the veil and the kiss and-“ 

“Woah, woah, woah, back up there Cap, you kissed?” Sam asked incredulously. 

“She just pulled me in and kissed me, and now I’m trying to figure out if it was just for the mission or if she was feeling what I was feeling.” 

“We’re you guys at risk of getting caught?” Sam asked. Steve shook his head after thinking about it for a moment. “Had the targets even noticed you?” Steve thought about it again before shaking his head. Sam raised his eyebrows as he leaned his head down to meet Steve’s eyes. “Then I think you have your answer, don’t you?” 

Steve looked at him for a moment before standing up. “I think I need to talk to her,” he said. 

Sam stood up as well and clapped him on the shoulder as they walked to the door of his apartment, “yeah I think you do.”

* * *

Natasha sat on her bed, looking at the ring on her finger as the light hit it once more. She moved her hand back and forth, a small smile on her face as the reflections danced on the walls. She heard her front door open and shut. Even if Steve wasn’t the only person that had permissions to her floor, she would’ve known that it was him by the footsteps as they came down the hallway. He knocked on her bedroom door seconds later. 

Natasha stood up and grabbed the ring box from the side of her bed as Steve walked into the room. “Hey,” she called. Steve watched as she held her hand out and watched the diamond sparkle once more before pulling the ring off her finger and putting it back in the box. “I was just putting this up, I meant to give it back to Hill when I debriefed, but I forgot the box here.” 

“So, everything went well?” He asked as he sat on the edge of her bed. 

“Yeah,” Natasha replied. “They’re tracking her now.” 

“Good.” 

“Hey good job today by the way,” she said with a smile. “You’re getting better at the undercover thing.” 

“I just sat on a couch most of the day,” he replied with a laugh. “You did all the heavy lifting this time.” 

“I don’t know Rogers, if the whole superhero thing doesn’t workout for you, you could always be an actor. You almost had me convinced you were in love with me with the way you were looking at me in that last dress.” Natasha smirked at him, moving over to mess with something on her dresser. 

“Nat,” Steve murmured, his throat going dry. He stood up and moved to stand behind her. 

She hummed as she continued messing with the few items there. 

“Nat, look at me. Please,” Steve said, placing his hand on her upper arm. Natasha froze for a moment before turning around and looking at him. “Why did you kiss me?” 

Natasha furrowed her brows, “we were on a mission, Rogers. It was just part of it.” 

Steve hummed and rubbed his lips together. “Okay,” he rasped out. Natasha was still staring at him, her expression fairly neutral aside from the slight glint in her eyes. He nodded slightly and took a step closer to her. “So, then you would be completely opposed to me kissing you without it being for a mission. Like right now, right?” 

He watched as her breath hitched. His heart racing as he worried he’d been wrong about what had happened at the bridal shop. He was just about to step away when she shook her head. 

“No,” she whispered. “No, I wouldn’t.” 

Steve quickly descended his lips on hers, pulling her body flush against his. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling his lips tighter against hers. They were both gasping for air when they finally broke apart. Steve looked at her and brushed his thumb over her cheekbone before leaning forward and giving her another chaste kiss. 

“I’m not good at relationships,” Natasha protested half-heartedly. 

“Well for all I know, neither am I. Never been in one before. But I do know that I love you, and that I want to be with you. Is that okay with you?” 

“That’s more than okay with me,” Natasha breathed. “I love you too.” 

They were quiet for a moment as they both relished in the feel of the other in their arms. 

“How about you wear that dress for real sometime?” Steve said as he leaned his forehead against hers. “That is, if you wanted to.” 

“I think I’d like that,” Natasha hummed. “Actually, I take that back. I know I would.” 

“I’d like that too,” Steve murmured and captured her lips once more.

**Author's Note:**

> Hi guys! This is just some post-Christmas fluff that I've been working on for just a bit. I hope you all had a wonderful holiday and that you have a wonderful New Year :)
> 
> Also, if you can think of a better summary, please let me know because the current one is awful.  
> I feel like there was more I was going to say, but it's 5 a.m. and I'm horrifically tired. Please excuse any errors. 
> 
> As always, please leave comments and kudos!


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